Bale-tie trimming and buckle-attaching machine.



H. ROGERS. BALE TIE TRIMMING AND BUCKLE ATTAGHING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED H1313, 1914.

Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

4 SHEETSSHBET 1.

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It -11 llllllllilll Suva-W601 Henry Faye/'6 I'HE NORRIS PETERS 60., PHDTO-LITHOU WASHINGTON, o. L.

H. ROGERS.

BALE TIE TRIMMING AND BUCKLE ATTAGHING MACHINE.

' APPLICATION FILED FEB. 13, 1914.

Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ammo; Hen/y Payers "HE NORRIS PETERS 60.. PHDTO-LITHO.. WASHINGTON. D. C

H. ROGERS. BALE TIE TRIMMING AND BUCKLE ATTACHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED TEB.13, 1914.

Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

lNVE/VTOR Henry Rogers W/TIVE8SESJ ATTORNEY THE NORRIS PETERS CO, PHOTc-LlTI-Ia. WASHINGTON. D. c.

H. ROGERS. BALE TIE TRIMMING AND BUCKLE ATTAGHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED PEB.13, 1914. 4 1,1 28,5 17, Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

4 SHBETSSHEET 4 WITNESSES: INVENTOR .4 Henry Rogers ATTORNEY THE NORRIS PETERS C0,. PHOTO-LITHO.. WASHINGTON. D. C.

EN orrron.

HENRY ROGERS, OF BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA.

BALE-TIE TRIMMING AND BUCKLE-ATTAOHING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

Application filed February 13, 1914. Serial No. 818,584.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY ROGERS, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Birmingham, in the county of Jeflerson and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bale-Tie Trimming and Buckle-Attaching Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a machine for trimming and attaching buckles to ties used for baling cotton and for similar purposes.

l/Vhen cotton bales are compressed, the practice has been to take the ties used on the old bales before compression and trim them by hand and attach buckles thereto and use them again for tying the compressed bales.

The primary object of my invention is to devise a machine in which the ties to be trimmed and buckles therefor are inserted and which will automatically trim the ties to the correct length, insert a buckle on the end thereof and bend the tie to attach the buckle thereon.

My invention involves certain novel combinations in the mechanism for trimming the ties; for mounting the buckles thereon; and for bending the ties about the buckles; and

for manipulating the tie during the several I operations of the machine and discharging the refinished tie therefrom.

My invention further comprises the details of construction and arrangements of parts which, in their preferred embodiment, are hereinafter more particularly described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a top plan View of my machine. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a reverse side elevation of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a partial sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3. Figs. 5 and 6 are detail sectional views on the lines 5-5 and 66 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional View along the line 77 of Fig. 2. Figs. 8 and 9 are detail views of the mechanism for operating the hammer, these views being taken on the line 8-8 and 99 of Fig. 7 respectively. Figs. 10 and 11 are detail plan and side views of the trip mechanism for the pin about which the tie is bent. Fig. 11 is a detail view of the tie retaining notched plate. Fig. 12 is a detail sectional view taken also along the line 9.9 of Fig. 7, and illustrating the buckle mechanism. Fig. 13 is a view similar to Fig. 12 with the buckle mechanism enlarged and shown in different operating positions. Fig. 14 is a detail view of the tie bending mechanism taken on the line 1414 of Fig. 7. Figs. 15 and 16 are detail views taken on the lines 1515 and 1616 of Fig. 4, and illustrating the actuating mechanism for the buckle carrier. Fig. 17 is a detail view of the buckle carrier.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

The machine comprises a main bed 20 mounted on suitable supports and comprising at one side vertical webs 21 and 22 which are spaced to form between them a channel and which serve as guides and bearings for various operating parts hereinafter described. On one side of the inner web 22 I provide at one end of the bed a guide 23 and at the other end an angularly disposed stop 24, the tie to be operated on being first inserted between the web 22 and guide 23 and arrested by the stop 24 in proper initial position on the bed. While in this position, the tie 26, as shown in Fig. 5, lies under two spring pressed pivoted arms or holders 25 which are connected to the top of web 21 near each end of the machine and are yieldingly held with their free ends pressed against the bed 20.

The tie 26 is intended to be moved to the right, in doing which it passes under the holders and assumes the position shown in dotted lines, in which position it is operated on by the machine. This shifting is accomplished by means of slides 27 arranged at different points along the bed and connected by links 28 and cranks 29 to a common rocker shaft 30 journaled on the legs 31 of the machine. Each slide 27 is provided with a depending guide tongue 32 which works in a transverse guiding slot 33 provided for it in the base and when retracted the slide passes under the web 22 with its front end standing flush therewith. The rods 28 project through elongated slots provided for them in the outer web 21. The rocker shaft 30 is oscillated in one direction by a crank 34 connected by a crank arm 35 to a crank member 36 j'ournaled in a frame 37 depending from the under side of the bed. The crank member has integral therewith or fixed thereto a gear segment 38 having teeth which will mesh with a toothed segment 39 fast on the shaft 40, which is mounted in journals 41 on the legs 42. As the shaft rotates the crank member 38 is intermittently actuated to shift members 27 to the right, causing them to push the tie 26 under the spring holders 25 and into the notch 42 in a holder plate 42, shown in F ig.

11, where it is heldin position under the mechanismdisposed between the spaced ver tical walls 43 and 44. These walls stand parallel with the web 22 and are rigidly con nected to and supported from the web 21 by means of cross webs 45 (see Figs. 2 and 7), which pass over web 22 and support the bottom edges of the plates 43 and 44 above the bed 20. The plate 44, however,at one point is supported from the-bed plate 20 by a short bracket or flange 46 (see Fig. 10), which stands opposite the part of the tie that is folded over the buckle. When the tie is moved to operating position between the walls 43 and 44, it will be engaged at several points by ejecting slides 47, see Fig. 6, which slides have rear inclined top faces, the loweredges of which are flush with the bed so that the tie will ride over them as it is shifted from initial to operating position. These slides have a front tooth 48 which overhangs the tie, and they work in slots provided for them in the bed, being operated by rods 49 which are connected by cranks 50 fast on the rocker shaft 30. Links 51 connect cranks 52 fast on the shaft 30 to a crank plate 36" carrying a toothed segment 38 adapted to be engaged by a toothed segment 39* fast on the shaft 40 but set in a position to act on the toothed segment 38 after the latter is shifted by the engagement of the segments 38 and 39, it being noted that the crank 52 is disposed oppositely to the crank 34 so that meshing of gears 38 and 39, 38 and 39 serve to shift the several slides 27 and 48 back and forth simultaneously, slides 27 feeding the ties to the slides 48 which eject them.

When a tie has been shifted into operating position, several operations take place simultaneously. First, it is necessary to shear or cut off an end of the tie to reduce it to the proper length. The shear for this purpose is 'more clearly shown in Fig. 7 and comprises an oscillating cutter 53 which coacts with a fixed cutter 53 and is pivoted in a slot in the bed 20, having its lower end 54 projecting below and to one side of the bed and connected by a link 55 to a gear wheel 56. This gear wheel is fast on the shaft 40 and is driven by a gear wheel 57 fast on the main drive shaft 58 which is driven by a pulley 59 and journaled in bearings on the 6 legs 42. With each complete revolution of v the shaft 40 the cutter is moved to shear or cut a tie.

Immediately after the shearing of the tie, its sheared end is bent up over a slide pin 60 (see Figs. 10 and 12). This pin slides in alining openings in walls 43, 44, and in a bearing 61 connected to a side extension 62 of the bed. The pin is disposed near the right hand end of a slot 63 in the bed plate between the walls 43 and 44 and an arcuate tie bender 64 is adapted to swing up through this slot and over the pin 60. This bender is provided with a slot or groove 65 at its forward end which alines with the tie holding notch 42 and is adapted to engage the end 26 (Fig. 13) of the tie. The bender is fast on a rocker shaft 66 (see Fig. 12), journaled in bearings attached below to the bed plate and having atoothed segment 67 fast thereon which is adapted to mesh with a similar segment 68 fast on a countershaft 69, which countershaft is driven by beveled gearing 70 from the shaft 40 (see Figs. 7 and 1.2). Shaft 66 has fast thereon a stop arm 66 adapted to swing down after gears 67 and 68 disengage and strike shaft 69 to stop gear 67 in position to again mesh with gear 68 as the latter rotates. The shaft 69 carries a cam 71 which engages a trip 72' pivoted to the lower end of-a hanger 73 attached to the underside of the bed and as the trip is actuated it, rocks a latch 74 pivoted to the hanger and disengages it from a stop bender 75 formed on a disk 76 fast on the rocker shaft 66 on which the bender is mounted. The meshing gears 67 and 68 rock the shaft 66 and swing the bender 64 upwardly, causing its upper end to engage and bend the cut end 26 of the tie over pin 60 and when it reaches its extreme position, the latch 74 looks with the stop 75 and holds the benderin this position until the cam 71, after an interval of time, trips the latch and permits the bender to fall back to its lowered position, 2'. 6., when stop arm 66 engages shaft 69. 7

During the interval of time between the bending of the tie end 26 and the release of the bender 64, the buckle applying mechanism is brought into operation. This mechanism comprises a buckle guide 77 mounted on the top of the walls 43 and 44 and a series of bale buckles 78 are strung on a center guide 79 connected to a cross pin 80 mounted in the guides 77. The buckles have central openings through which the guide 79 passes and they are advanced forward step by step by means of a rack 81 and a dog 82 which is mounted below the rack on a rock ing lever 83, the lower end of which is connected by a link 83 to a crank 84 on a rocker shaft 85 (see Fig. 12). The rocker shaft 851s journaled in the walls 4:3 and 44 and web 21, projecting beyond the latter and having a crank 86 connected thereto which is operated by means of a link 87, a bell crank lever 88 and a driving rod 89 from a crank 90 on a cross shaft 91 disposed below the bed and mounted in hangers 92. The bell crank 88 is pivotally mounted in bearings 93. This shaft 91, which is shown more clearly in Fig. 4, is driven by a beveled gear 9& from a similar gear 95 on the shaft 10. Shaft 91 carries a toothed segment 96 which at one point in its rotation engages a similar segment 97' fast on a countershaft 98 journaled at the top of the hangers 92 (see Fig. 15). The shaft 91 also carries a segment 96, see Fig. 16, which by means of an interposed pinion 99, serves to rock a segment 97 reversely to the movement of the segment 97, the segment 97 being fast on the shaft 98. The segments 96 and 96 are arranged through the connections shown, to alternately rock the shaft 98 back and forth. A crank 100 is rocked by shaft 98 and projects through a suitable slot in the bed 20 to a point above the web 22 where it is connected by means of a rod 101 to a link 102 (see Figs. 12 and 13) which in turn is connected to the reciprocatory carriage which receives the buckles in succession and mounts it on the end 26 of a tie. The shaft 85 at one end, see Fig. 2, has connected thereto a crank 103 which, by means of a rod 10%, operates a feed slide 105, see Fig. 13, which works in slots 106 in the walls a3 and 4-1. This slide is adapted to engage the bottom buckle 78 which rests on a plate 107 spaced from the bottom of the down turned chute 108 into which the buckles fall from the down turned end of the guide 79. As the slide 105 is moved inwardly the bottom buckle only is pushed to the left, Fig. 13, and falls down the chute 108 and drops vertically into a pocket 109 provided therefor at the rear of the buckle carriage. The buckle carriage is mounted on flanged rollers 111 which travel in guides 112 in the walls 43, 424: the slots being horizontal at their top and inclined throughout their intermediate portions and substantially vertical at their lower ends. The front end of the carriage is provided with flaring guide wings 113 which converge toward the pocket 109, see Fig. 17, and which are intended to engage and guide the end 26 of the tie and cause it to pass in the proper position through the pocket 109 and through the center opening in the buckle resting therein, it being noted that both the pocket and wings are left open above along their centers to permit the tie to pass through the pocket and clear the wings so that the carriage can move to lowered dotted position shown in Fig. 13 and can be freely returned to raised full line position without further interference with the bent over end of the tie. As the buckle carriage is thrown forward and pulled back by the links 101 and 102, the dog 82 is rocked to engage the feeder rack 81 and advance it a step to feed the buckles forward along their guides and force them to fall one at a time into the chute 108.

After the buckle has been slipped over the end of the tie and the cam 71 has tripped latch 74- to return the bender 64 to lowered position below the bed, the hammer 114 is brought into play to mash the tie flat and fasten the buckle thereon. Before the hammer drops it is necessary to withdraw the rod 60 about which the tie was bent and the mechanism for operating the hammer. and rod are shown more clearly in Figs. 8 to 11. The hammer is mounted on a transverse shaft 115 journaled in the walls 21, 43 and 4-4: and projecting beyond the same, said shaft being driven by shaft 69 and oscillated back and forth by means of a toothed segment 116 on the outer end of the shaft 69 which meshes with a similar segment 117 on shaft 115 and by a segment 116 on the shaft 69 which meshes with a pinion 118 mounted in a suitable hanger 119 under the bed, which pinion in turn meshes with a toothed segment 117 on the shaft 115.

The segments are so positioned relatively that the segments 116 and 117 first engage and rock the hammer to the left, Fig. 9, after the shearing and bending operations are completed and at the same time a trip pin 120 on the opposite end of the shaft 115 is swung downwardly, (see Fig. 11) and engages in an opening 121 in the outer end of a bell crank lever 122 pivoted on the bed extension 62 and disposed to swing about a vertical pivot thereon, the other end of the lever having an elongated slot which engages a pin 123 on the rod 60 and slides that outwardly to dotted position, Fig. 10. By the time the rod has been moved so that its inner end reaches the wall 14, the hammer will have been swung over in position to drop forward by gravity as soon as the segments116 and 117 disengage. The hammer as it falls will strike the bent end 26 of the tie with a buckle in its bight and bend it down upon the body of the tie. As soon as this has taken place the segment 116 comes into action and by the driving connections described, swings the hammer back to its raised position against a stop pin 12, shown in Fig. 7. While the hammer is being thus raised, the driving connections to the tie shifting slides 27 and 48am brought into action and the complete tie with the buckle fast thereon and trimmed to the proper lengthis shifted to theri'ghtby slides 48, passing under. the wall 4:4, it being noted that the connection 46 from the wall 44 to therbed plate (see Figs.

10 and 12), comesfopposite that portion of relation tothe" shears, the bender and the hammer in the manner already described.

The several operating connections are used and adjusted to give the several opera ating parts the proper sequence of operation and to. give the machine as a whole a continuous operation, it being only necessary to feed the ties to be cut and buckles to themachine. The mechanism shown for operating. the several parts is what I consider preferable, but obviously other mechanical movements capable of producing the same results maybe substituted without departing from my invention as set forth in the claims.

In order to hold the tie against the bed while being operated on by the bender, the hammer, etc., I provide springs .25 which are connected to the hangers for the pivoted stops 25 (see Figs. 5"an d: 6). vThe lower ends of the springs are flattened and the shifters 27 act to force the tie under the springs and lea e itthere until it is ejected by theshi-fters 4'8.

ters Patent, is

1. In a machine for the purposes described, means to arrange a bale tie in position to be operated on, means to trim the tie, means to bend up an end of thetie, means to apply a buckle on said upturned end,

meansto force the upturned tie end against its body portion to fasten the bucklein position, means to eject the'tie, and means to coordinately drive said several: means, sub

about the buckle, and successively acting cocrdinated drive means to} actuate said mechanisms, substantially as described.

3. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a tie cutter, a tie bending mechanism comprising a movable bender and a member about which the tie is bent,

means to apply a buckle to the. tie end that is bent, means tov separate said'member from the tie after it is bent, a hammer adapted to rike; he upturn.edt e-end: ze fas enthe Having thus described my invention, what- I claim as new and desire to secure by Let-' buckle in position, and: mechanism to'operate; sai-d partscoordinately, substantially as described.

l. Ina machineof the character described,

incombinati'on', means to bend up an. end of a tie, an element about which the tie is bent.

means todisassociate the tie and element after the tie'isbent, a hammer to strike and bend: down theupturned end of the tie after its disassociation from said element, and operating mechanism to cocrdinately drive. said. means and operate said hammer, substantially as described.

5. In amachine of the character described, in. combination, a bending member adapted to'engage an. end of a tie, means to operate said member, a movable memberabout which the tie is bent, means to. shift the movable member from under the bent up end of the tie, a hammer to strike and bend down the upturned. end of the tie, means to control the. operation of saidv hammer, and a common. drive which coordinately operates several means, substantially as described.

6. In a machine of the character described in combi-nation, means, to trim off an end of a tie, means. to mount a buckle on the trimmed end of the tie, and. mechanisms to to hold the end of a tiein the, path of travel of saidcarriage and in position to .receive the buckle in the carriage, said carriage being adapted. to disengage itself from the buckle after mounting the latter on the tie, and means to fasten the buckle to the tie, substantially as described.

8; In amachine of the character described, a movable buckle carrier, means tofeed the buckle successively to said carrier, and means to' shift a tie into the path of travel of said buckle carrier with its end in position to receive the buckle, said buckle carrier being adapted to disengage itself from the buckle after the latter is applied to the tie end, substantially as described.

9. Ina machine of 'the character described, a movable bucklecarria'ge, means to feed the buckles one. at a time to said carriage, mechanrsm to move' an end' of a he into the path of said carriage, means to guide the'tie end through the buckle on the carriage, said carriage being adapted to disengage itself from a buckle after it is mounted on the tie, and means to fasten the buckle to the tie, substantially as described.

10. In a machine of the character described, a movable buckle carriage comprising a buckle pocket having front and rear alini-n-g slots opened at their tops, and tie guidingwingsadapted to engage a tie end and adjust it into position to pass through said slots and through a buckle held in the carriage pocket and to clear the pocket as the carriage returns empty, substantially as described.

11. In a machine of the character described, a bed plate, guide and stop means thereon to receive and position a bale tie, mechanism to shift the tie laterally into operating position, mechanism adapted to engage the tie when in operating position and to eject it after operations, pivoted stops under which the first adjusting mechanism passes the tie, the second adjusting mechanism being adapted to force the tie against said stops and having inclined edges over which the tie rides when so forced to assume operating position in advance of said last mentioned adjusting mechanism, substantially as described.

12. In a machine of the character described, two sets of laterally movable tie adjusters, the paths of travel of one set being adapted to overlap the paths. of travel of the other set, mechanism to reciprocate said tie adjusters, pivoted stops under which one set forces a tie when moving in one direction and against which the other set forces it when moving in a reverse direction, the latter set having inclined faces which ride under the tie to bring it into position in front of them, substantially as described.

13. In a machine of the character described, two sets of laterally movable tie adjusters, the paths of travel of one set being adapted to overlap the paths of travel of the other set, mechanism to reciprocate said tie adjusters, pivoted stops under which one set forces a' tie when moving in one direction and against which the other set forces it when moving in a reverse direction, the latter set having inclined faces which ride under the tie to bring it into position in front of them, and springs under which the first set of adjusters shift the tie and which hold it in operating position, substantially as described.

14. In a machine of the character described, a bed, operating mechanism supported from one side above the bed, means to advance a tie laterally under said mechanism, and means to eject the finished tie by a continued lateral movement across the bed, substantially as described.

15. Ina machine of the character described, a rocker shaft, a hammer connected thereto, a trip movable with said shaft, a rocker arm adapted to be reciprocated by said trip, a slide rod connected to said arm, said parts being adapted to shift said rod from under the hammer as it falls, lostmotion driving mechanism which raises and trips said hammer permitting it to fall by gravity, mechanism to bend a tie about said rod, and means to hold the tie in position under the hammer when said rod is shifted, substantially as described.

16. In a machine of the character described, a continuously rotating power shaft, and coordinately driven mechanisms actuated by said shaft and comprising a tie trimmer, an oscillating bender adapted to engage and bend over the trimmed end of the tie, a buckle applying means movable to mount a buckle on said trimmed end of the tie, and hammer mechanism to strike and fasten the tie end about the buckle.

17. In a machine of the character described, a bed, a hammer pivoted above said bed, a trip movable therewith, a slide disposed in the path of the hammer, means actuated by said trip to reciprocate said slide, a stop to support the hammer in raised position, and reversely acting intermittent drive means which successively raise and release the hammer to fall against said stop and reversely move and release the hammer to fall against said bed, said trip acting to.

move the slide to avoid the stroke of the hammer.

18. In a machine of the character described, means to shift a bale tie laterally into operating position, spring means to hold it in such position, a notched seat having a beveled edge up which said tie rides and passes into the notch when in operating position, a tie cutting mechanism disposed on one side of said notched seat, a bender disposed on the other side of said seat and adapted to bend up the sheared end of the tie and disengage it from said notched seat, means to apply a buckle to the bent up end, and means to fasten the buckle in the bight of the tie, substantially as described.

19. In a machine of the character described, a slotted bed plate, a bending member pivoted below the bed plate, a segmental gear connected to said bender which is adapted to swing up through said slot in the bed, means to hold the tie while operated on by the bender, a drive shaft carrying a segmental gear adapted to mesh with the segmental that is connected to the bender and swing the latter upwardly at intervals, and stop means which arrest the bender gear in position to be engaged by said driving gear, substantially as described.

20. In a machine of the character described, a continuously rotated driving means, an oscillatory bender, operating mechanism driven by said operating means ,and adapted to intermittently rock and release said bender, latch means to hold said bender in its operating position, and means driven by the driving means to trip said latch, and release the bender, substantially as described.

21. In a machine of the character described, ai movable buckle carrier, mechameans to bendv the endof'the tie about the nism to-feed. thebuckles one at. the time to buckle, substantially as described. 10 said carrier means to place whale tieinrthe In testimony whereof. I atfix my signapath ot-travel of saidscarrier, means tocut ture in. presence ofJtWoWitnesses.v 'said tie ratla. predetermined point adjacent I HENRY ROGERS.

to said carrier, means toe move thetrimmed Witnesses:- end oi the tie into. position; to receive; and EWAR'nJoHNsToN, disengage. the: buckle from said: carriergand NOMIE -WELSH.

copm of,thi s.patent, ma c.be obtainedJorfive cents each, by, addressing the Commissioner otrratents.

Washing-ton, DFC, 

